Occasionally, an elevator car can become stuck within a shaft and it is necessary to release the car before the elevator can be returned to normal operation. Such a situation can occur if safety gear mounted on the car has been released to frictionally engage with the guide rails so as to bring the car to an abrupt emergency stop. The energy dissipated through this frictional engagement can in some instances cause the safety gear (and thereby the car) to stick to the guide rails. The common practice to effect the release of the car is to suspend it from a lifting hook located at a position above the car within the hoistway by a rope or cable and to then hoist the rope or cable so as to raise and thereby release the car. This procedure becomes cumbersome and time consuming if the nearest lifting hook is not within easy reach of the car roof.